


i think we should run

by writerlily



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-12
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-04-20 08:35:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4780796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writerlily/pseuds/writerlily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barry thinks it’s kind of funny, because ever since he was a kid, people have told him he was either going to achieve great things, or get into a lot of trouble. He looks over to Caitlin in the driver’s seat of their stolen vehicle. </p><p>A lot of trouble, indeed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He never meant for things to get this out of hand. He never imagined that at some point in his life, he and Caitlin would be on the run from the police. Barry thinks it’s kind of funny, because ever since he was a kid, people have told him he was either going to achieve great things, or get into a lot of trouble. He looks over to Caitlin in the driver’s seat of their stolen vehicle. 

A lot of trouble, indeed. 

She has dark shades on that are too big for her face. She’s worrying her lower lip between her teeth and her knuckles on the steering wheel are white. She gets like this sometimes, when she feels particularly paranoid about the day. He always tells her to relax, because if anything does happen, they’ll find a way. They always do, together. He tugs a strand of her icy blonde hair and she shoots him an unimpressed look. They weren’t around long enough for people to see her chestnut hair turn a different shade, but it’s convenient to keep her unrecognizable. 

They’ve been on the run together for a while now. He doesn’t want to think about how long exactly they’ve been living with the police trying to sniff their tails. Some days are harder than others; he thinks of the life they left behind-- of Joe and Iris-- and he thinks about the life they could have had. He reaches over and takes one of her hands in his, giving it a small squeeze. Some of the tension in Caitlin’s shoulders dissipates, for she looks at him to give him a soft smile that he returns. 

He would have asked her to marry him, and he would have bought that old Victorian house with chipped blue paint that she loved so much, and they probably would have had children. If only things were that simple and that easy, but Barry has always had the feeling that his life would be anything but simple and easy. He used to think it was unfair that the universe could rob him of having a normal life, but he’s starting to come to terms with it. Because he’s still alive, and he still has people who love him, and he has the woman he loves. 

He remembers the night that Joe confronted him, with stiff shoulders, and in his police uniform. It was the concerned look that told Barry all he needed to know. And it wasn’t as if Joe exactly told them to get out of town, but the way that Joe delivered the news-- without any back up, or other law enforcement officials-- that made Barry realize Joe was giving them an out. Barry was the one who grabbed Caitlin’s hand and made them run. And he hopes that she doesn’t resent him for it. He didn’t want her to go to prison, or to end up in a cell at the bottom of STAR labs. This was the woman he loved and he wasn’t going to let her rot away in an isolated room. Some nights when they’re lying together (usually it’s just in their stolen car, or a cheap dirty motel) she whispers that maybe she belongs in a cell, where she can’t hurt anyone. 

He knows how much she wishes she could reverse time and change things. He knows how remorseful she is for the lives she’s taken. So he’s always quick to remind her that what happened was out of her control, and that she would never intentionally hurt someone, that she’s still good and will always be the same Caitlin he fell in love with all that time ago. 

He’s brought out of his thoughts by the sound of her light humming. They’re on a deserted highway now, clear of people and other cars, and she looks more at ease. The sun is low in the sky, slivers of orange and yellow pour through the windows of their car, highlighting the planes of her face that he loves so much. He reaches over and gently pulls her ridiculous sunglasses off. 

“I hate these,” he scrunches his nose and puts them away in the glove compartment.

She gives him an amused look. “I’ll make sure to consult you first next time I shop for eye wear.”

“Please do,” he gives her a wide smile and she snorts, untangling her hand from his and poking him on the side of his stomach. He makes an embarrassing squealing sound and pushes her hand away. “Not cool,” he says flatly and ends up smiling anyway. 

She’s laughing and he likes these moments when they can joke around and look at each other like she hasn’t killed people and he didn’t help her escape imprisonment. 

“So where to now?” He asks as he pulls a map out of the backpack near his feet. He unfolds it until it’s spread out over their dashboard. Black marker is dotted along the cities that they’ve stopped in and it’s kind of incredible how far they’ve gotten. 

She bites her lip, suddenly turning pensive, but he can see a mischievous glint to her eyes. “How about somewhere warm?”


	2. Chapter 2

It’s hard to remember all the important details of who she was before ice filled her veins. The longer they’re on the road, and the farther they get away from Central city, the more difficult it becomes for Caitlin to remember the normal life she had before this. Coldness and worry take up empty slots in her life now. Barry always tells her that going on the run was for the best because what happened was out of her control and she didn’t belong in a cell.

She thinks he's wrong.

He doesn’t see the things that replay in her mind. He doesn’t know that the faces of the people she’s killed are glued to her eyelids, so every time she tries to sleep, they’re all that she sees. He doesn’t know that she’s always teetering off the edge of her sanity, because she might wear heated gloves and thick scarves, but that doesn’t do anything to stop the shiver that runs through her bones, or the urge she has to kill. And that probably has to be the worst part of it all... the way she actually _wants_ to wrap her hands around someone’s body and suck the life and warmth out of them. 

It's those moments that let her know that she's too unstable and needs to be locked up. But then Barry will do something-- squeeze her hand, make a funny face at her, kiss the shell of her ear. And it'll remind her why she stays, when she could turn herself in at any moment.

She doesn’t want Barry to look at her like she's a broken, crazy little girl, so she plays her part perfectly. She keeps her dark secrets tucked away and hidden from him. She wants to try as hard as she can, and for as long as she can, to be the sweet innocent woman he makes her out to be. Because he sacrificed things too the day they left and she knows she owes him for it. 

They’re both fugitives now and any thought of having something stable and normal was thrown out of the window, even long before they went on the run, if she really thinks about it. Anyway, she likes that it’s just her and Barry against the world. They’re a modern day Bonnie and Clyde and the thought makes her lips quirk in a wry smile.

She looks over at him as he sits at the ugly brown love seat by the window of their motel room. It's where a draft of cool air comes from outside to make him more comfortable in their sweltering hot room. She’s on the bed, with her legs drawn up to her chest and her chin resting on her knees. He’s intently reading a newspaper, checking for any news about them. In front of him is a wrinkled old map and a cup of coffee set on top of a creaky looking table. She sees the red marker in a jagged line that stops at the bottom of their map. She's read about the sunny beaches of Mexico, and in a week or so, they'll finally be there. 

Their curtains are shut tight and the only light in the room comes from a lamp near him, creating shadows that fall across his face. He looks much older now, with his facial hair grown out, and his glasses perched on his nose.

He could have easily let the cops take her that night, and he could have moved on with someone else, and had that wholesome American pie family while she rotted in a prison where she belonged. He could have had everything, but he gave it all up and more just to be with her. That’s love, she guesses, because she would have done the same for him if the tables were reversed. 

That's probably one of the reasons why they belong with each other.

She has to remember the other slots of her life that are still filled with the good things. She’s alive, she still gets to see the sun rise and set every day, and she still has Barry. 

She lets out a small sigh and Barry lifts his eyes from the paper in front of him to look at her. “You’ve been staring at me for the past twenty minutes.”

Caitlin shrugs at being caught. “I like watching you,” she smiles when he pushes his glasses up his nose with a finger in a very nerdy way. “You’re my favorite thing to look at.”

He snorts, but the tops of his cheeks redden anyway. Assisting his homicidal girlfriend in escaping imprisonment and being on the run from the police hasn't changed the way he's quick to blush when he's around her. “What’s on your mind, Snow?”

She falls back against the bed and raises her hands in front of her, ticking one finger away after the other. The faces of the people she’s killed cross her mind as each finger curls forward into her palm. She has issues, she knows, and she drops her hands back onto her stomach. She hums thoughtfully for a moment and sighs again. “Nothing at all.”

She closes her eyes when she hears the sound of a newspaper being folded back up and the sound of the love seat creak as Barry stands. In seconds, he has his large hands on her knees and a slow smile spreads across her face. "You're a liar," he says as he presses barely there kisses against her thighs.

She cracks an eye open to find him smirking between her legs. He ducks down to continue brushing his dry lips against her cool skin and it sends a shiver through her body. "And a killer," she says and feels his body slightly stiffen, but he doesn't relent in his teasing kisses. In fact, they get bolder, as his hands grip her hips tightly. 

He rubs his scruff against her skin and she stifles a gasp. "Well I'm here with you," he says as he moves up her body. She loves it when he gets like this with her; she loves how sweet he can be, sure, but she likes this too. The way his eyes darken, and his hold on her is rougher than usual, and the way he moves his body with hers is sinful. "What does that make me?"

She grabs the collar of his shirt and pulls him forward until their foreheads knock against each other. "It makes you mine."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The life Joe has led has not been an easy one. His life constantly has constantly thrown him curve balls and he should’ve been used to it, but he wasn’t. Especially not when the reports of frozen dead bodies started piling in at the precinct.

The life Joe has led has not been an easy one. His life constantly has constantly thrown him curve balls and he should’ve been used to it, but he wasn’t. Especially not when the reports of frozen dead bodies started piling in at the precinct.

The frustrating part was that there was nothing to go off of. No fingerprints, footprints, or anything that could aid their investigation. It was in everyone’s best interests to turn to Barry. He could solve the unsolvable, but when they approached him, he declined, stating that he was done with police work. It caused a small riff to form between him and Joe. Wasn’t stopping the bad guys Barry’s purpose as the flash? But Joe had to let it go for the sake of their relationship when Barry continued to vehemently reject being able to help. And Joe for all of his perceptiveness should have seen through Barry’s unwillingness. He should have understood the way Barry’s guard went up and the absence of Caitlin during this time, but Joe would only come to realize these things much later on. 

A little while after that, things came tumbling down like a snowball rolling down a hill. Picking up momentum and getting bigger in size. The murderer made a mistake, left behind the smallest bit of evidence that changed everything, and it was then that things started to fall apart. Because Joe didn’t want to believe it-- he really did not want to think of Caitlin Snow as a murderer. 

After all, she was the one who took care of Barry while he had been in a coma. She had been there to comfort Joe and Iris on the nights that they couldn’t bring themselves to leave Barry’s bedside. They had worked side by side on numerous accounts. She was the woman who he invited over for Christmas, who he caught Barry kissing like a teenager in love. There was no way that his mind could put “murderer” and “Caitlin” in the same sentence without feeling like the world had finally settled itself on his shoulders. 

The worst part of the equation was Barry and where he fit into things. When it came down to it, Barry would be cuffed in the back of a police car next to Caitlin and the thought twisted something painfully in Joe's chest.

It was Joe’s first thought. To arrive at their homes and arrest them. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew right from wrong as it had been instilled in him since he was a child. He even became a cop, for god’s sake. He knew what had to happen. They would both be tried for their crimes and serve life sentences in maximum security. It would be as simple as that. Except it wasn't. There shouldn't have been room for gray area and yet despite his morals and values, Joe couldn't shake the nagging feeling that throwing Barry and Caitlin in prison would not be the right thing to do.

Joe thought of Barry and how everything the boy has done has been out of the goodness of his heart, regardless of how much pain it might cost him. He’s always put those that he loves before himself-- always protecting and helping and Joe knew deep in his heart that there was a good reason that Barry had for sticking by Caitlin. There had to be.

Joe drove to Caitlin’s apartment that same night, his mind completely made. It made him feel... different somehow. After all of this was over, he wasn't sure what he would do.

He had the smallest window of time before her complex would be completely surrounded by other law enforcement officials. He made sure no one followed him and parked a couple blocks away to be safe. Then he had to wait a few moments before the door opened, his heart hammering away in his chest.

Barry stood stoically, with stiff shoulders, while Caitlin stood behind him. Her eyes were rimmed red and her lip looked like it was about to bust open from how hard she was worrying it between her teeth. Barry stepped aside to let him in and they all stood in her small apartment. Tension hung in the air like a cloud as Joe stared long and hard at Caitlin, wondering what happened that brought her here.

And as if he could sense Joe’s thoughts, Barry began to speak in a low flat voice. He told him about what happened to Caitlin. It was an accident caused by a malfunction at the lab. It was something they’d been trying to keep quiet and they had been trying to find ways to control her abilities for weeks now.

“I didn’t mean to kill any of them,” she said with a faraway look in her eyes as she wrung her fingers together. Barry excused himself for a moment and could be heard rummaging through the other room. Caitlin wore thick black gloves as she held her hands tightly together. ”It wasn’t me... It was my powers,” she says, wincing on the last word.

“And Barry?”

Her face fell. “He’s innocent in all of this,” she said as her voice hitched, almost reaching the point of hysterics. “All he ever did was try to help me. Please don’t let anything happen to him.”

Joe settled his elbows onto his knees and studied Caitlin. It might have been the pale moonlight, or his old eyes, but he could have sworn that strands of Caitlin’s brown hair were white. “You know why I’m here right?”

Caitlin lifted her head. “To take me away,” she said like it was obvious. “Isn’t that why?”

“Cait,” Barry said softly, reemerging from the doorway to what Joe presumed was her bedroom. A suitcase and duffle bag were next to him and Joe knew that it was the last time he would see them both. “He came alone.”

The sound of an alarm beeping snaps Joe out of his memories as he stares at the dust flying in the air. His mattress creaks loudly-- a sign that he should invest in a new one, for the sake of his back-- when he finally stands up. Morning light is worming it’s way through the seams of his curtains and he stretches his arms in front of him. His clock is still beeping and he shuffles back towards his nightstand to turn it off. He could have stayed in bed for a few more hours if he wanted to. It wasn’t as if he had anywhere important to be anymore.

He goes through the new routine he’s constructed for himself, until he’s standing by the front door of his empty house. A slice of warm toast wrapped in a napkin held against a thermos of coffee in one hand, an iPad in the other.

He’s been keeping an eye out for any news, or alerts about the two, and he isn’t the only one. Central city is on high alert for the fugitives. And there’s always a little smile on Joe’s face when neither he, or the city, find anything. There’s been no trace of Barry, or Caitlin, in the time that they’ve been gone. It’s as if they’ve disappeared with the wind.

When his breakfast is finished, and his trash is tossed into a nearby bin at the park he’s at, he stands up and breathes deeply. He pats the pockets of his coat. His wallet, keys, and passport are neatly tucked away. He could go anywhere, do anything. Maybe actually live a little bit. Iris is old enough to not need her old man hovering over her anymore. And it’s not like he’s held down by his demanding job anymore.

He’s free.

And he wonders if Barry and Caitlin feel this way too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took longer than i thought to post. sorry for the wait. leave a comment to let me know what you think :)


End file.
